Grenouille21

15 minutes ago, rockvixxen said:

If you put it in your cart — it checks out at the normal rate not 18 pp pd

But if you already paid for it, like I did, it shows the discounted rate of $18 per person, per night. My CP order history shows the transaction as well.  And Royal stated that drink packages begin at $18 pp pn, so...

7 minutes ago, rockvixxen said:

Royal has now posted it was a glitch. They are not honoring

They also stated that it was the actual price.  Hmmm.  And it still shows as a purchase for $18 per night in my CP.  

On 6/5/2019 at 1:23 PM, legaljen1969 said:

I think it's interesting that they put this letter in your stateroom telling you that one of the benefits of The Key is to drop off your carry on luggage in the theatre and they will deliver to your room for you.   I mean, once you're in your room, if you didn't already know- then just drop off the stuff.  LOL  

I know, there are many other avenues to find out that information but it is just funny to me to think that someone might go all the way to their room and find the letter telling them they can drop their stuff in the theatre and it will be delivered to them.   What's even funnier is that I can imagine some people who might take their stuff down there after finding the letter.   You never know.

🤣  Hopefully people know about this perk before they get to their stateroom! 

Yes, you can transfer to a travel agent after booking.  As others have said, must be within 60 days (for Royal) and not paid in full.  

We just sailed on Symphony of the Seas in March.  My daughter has severe tree nut allergies and we absolutely notified them ahead of time.  I noted the allergy in our reservation when I booked and emailed the Special Needs department before we sailed.  Special Needs sent back a very helpful reply, with details about what to do on board.  

Make sure you behave the same way you would at any restaurant, and do your due diligence.  I have heard people return from cruises irate that their child couldn't eat XYZ and that no one knew about their child's allergy.  However, upon questioning, it turns out they never notified the ship, or they assumed that notifying the ship was all they had to do and somehow everyone on board would know their child had an allergy.  

Hopefully you have regular dining (Early or Late) and not My Time, so you can have the same serving team.  Talk to them and go through everything on the menu with them.  They will give you the menu for the next night so you can pre-order food for your child.  But double check everything that comes to your table.  They brought us bread that was loaded with some sort of nut (yuck!) and had an "Oh yeah, right" moment when I pointed it out to them.  After that they just brought my daughter her own plate of her favorite rolls.  But that's what I mean about not assuming that everything is safe, or that they will be as careful as you.  

Oh and we never once ate in the buffet.  I will only allow my daughter to eat in buffets where the food is served by employees, not self-serve.  People are disgusting at buffets and I just refuse to take chances that some idiot used the same spoon for the nuts and the cheese, or that someone dropped the Waldorf salad into the Caesar salad, etc.  Luckily it was super easy to avoid the buffet on our ship as we had plenty of other options.  

On 6/1/2019 at 5:13 PM, karen_g said:

 

I'll be going next January with Thenford.  Seeing (what I perceive to be)  inhumane treatment of animals really bothers me.  Did you see the caged-up monkey too???  I'm hoping you got to skip that part...

You'll most likely see the chained up dogs, cows, and donkeys, even if you don't see the caged monkey or others like it.  We stopped once and a guy let his baby monkey crawl around on all of us.  Who knows where that monkey came from, where it's mother is, etc.  I only say that because we saw those animals all over the island.  I can't imagine you won't see them if you drive around any residential area, or anywhere that the old sugar mills were.  It really is sad and I wish I could do something about it.  

4 hours ago, karen_g said:

I would just like to say that even months after your cruise, people like me are still enjoying it vicariously.  I loved your report.  It was so interesting! and detailed! and funny!  I loved all the photos too.  Thanks for taking us all along with you.  I loved the experience!

Thank you so much!  I never thought anyone would read this, much less enjoy it!

On 5/29/2019 at 12:39 PM, brillohead said:

Just find someone to share the room with, and go your separate ways the rest of the time!

Solo cruise, but no single supplement that way!

😱

On 5/29/2019 at 12:58 PM, Bonita John said:

We were riding the Flowrider quite often and were told if we have the key to stand at the suite sign.  depending on the crowd they would let us in every other or every fourth.  It was good to know but we kindly said we would wait in line which half the fun was watching.  

See, there wasn't a suite sign at the Flowrider, and we were never told to go anywhere else when we were there.  It was very poorly executed.  

On 5/26/2019 at 5:51 PM, FirstAnthem said:

My next one is in September—without kids 😱—for my husband’s 50th birthday. I can’t wait! On our two cruises with the kids so far, we immediately realized we needed to take one just the two of us, because the kids were way lazier and much less fun than us! Hahaha 

Jealous!  Trying to justify a solo cruise this summer.  I really shouldn't, but I really want to....

On 5/25/2019 at 10:14 AM, FirstAnthem said:

Following! I’m enjoying your review! 

Thank you!  If only my next cruise weren't so far away... 😥

13 hours ago, 2Beeze said:

 

‘You are so right, we don’t want to know about these situations that are very, very sad. But I think we should know and our children should know (since as parents it is our job to help them understand things in the world before they can grasp them without us). Being someone who loves traveling, it is difficult to know that these places do not exist if we as tourists do not pay for them, if those who would do this to an animal did not profit from it. The only way to stop it is for all of us (or those with hearts and minds) to refuse to pay for any excursion involving captive or trained animals (whether sled dog puppies, “swimming” with dolphins, or the so-called elephant sanctuaries).

 

I am always astonished to me when I hear people brag about their excursions or see the photos that they post of their children or themselves on one those excursions that are in reality based on them all having “fun” for a few minutes in exchange for an animal having a life of pain. I am sure you likely feel the same based on the words in your post. Could so many people be this blind? I think that the answer may be yes.

 

I realize that no matter what someone says here at cc there is likely to be a chorus of angry responders, but if someone stops to think a minute more and then doesn’t contribute to a life full of pain for an animal that is helpless to stop it, then I am fine with any of the anger someone sitting home bored wants to throw my way. But there is no changing the fact that these kinds of “experiences” are no more than an exchange of our enjoyment for their pain and I so hope that there will some day be fewer tourists willing to be that selfish.

 

 National Geographic has been trying to get the word out about this animal tourism problem for years and tries to use both images and information to educate readers about what lies behind these “fun excursions.” There is more information available at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2019/06/ 

I really struggle with the animal tourism in my side job.  When a client wants to know which is the best dolphin experience, I want to answer that the best dolphin experience is the one that happens unexpectedly when you are out on a boat (or cruise ship, like what happened when we were in Alaska).  But that's not what they want to hear.  I answer honestly: that I have not had any personal experience with dolphin swims because I do not agree with the whole concept.  

4 hours ago, mgantt87 said:

No priority line for FloRider today and I didn’t feel comfortable just cutting the 11 year olds in line. 🤦‍♂️

I don't blame you at all for not wanting to cut in front of children!  I wouldn't be able to do that, either.  My 13yo son wouldn't do it either, so we never got to use the "priority access" to the Flowrider.  

I hope those of you who just boarded will report back about whether there are actual priority lines (separate lines) for all of the activities.  I know this will sound repetitive to anyone who has read my posts before, but when we were on Symphony I saw a priority line for The Abyss, though it was marked for Suite guests not Key guests.  The other activities had no priority lines that I ever saw.  We were told to cut in line if we wanted priority.  I certainly hope they have created separate lines by now, if they are really going to do this whole "You can have priority any time you want!" thing.  

This is copied and slightly edited from the email I sent to Royal about our experience with The Key.  They called me to discuss our experience, but it sounds like things have not changed for the better.  

Our experience on Symphony of the Seas, March 2019:

Prior to sailing, I had purchased The Key.  I was interested in the VOOM internet, so my teens and I could communicate on board, and I was intrigued by the private hours for activities and the lunch at Chops. I knew we wouldn’t be dining at any specialty restaurants for dinner as my daughter has food allergies and we wanted to stick to the Main Dining Room for dinner.  But this seemed like a safe choice for us.  While the priority embarkation and disembarkation and priority debarkation at ports was interesting, it was not a big draw.  I was hoping for good seats in the shows as well. Overall this seemed like a good choice for us.  

The Key experience on board was not what I had expected, though.  When I purchased The Key, the email confirmation promised the following benefits:

Package includes:

Carry-on luggage drop off with delivery to stateroom
Welcome lunch at Chops Grille
Private hours for ship attractions
Priority debarkation and tendering at ports of call
Reserved VIP seating at shows
Complimentary VOOM Surf + Stream internet package for one device per person
Choice debarkation with exclusive à la carte breakfast
 

In March 2019, the benefits of The Key on Royal Caribbean’s website were listed as this:

The biggest difference I see here is the benefit of “Daily private hours on marquee activities” which sounded promising, until you compare it to the letter that was waiting for me in our stateroom:

The activity wording has changed.  “Enjoy priority during ship activities and dedicated hours as per the schedule listed at venues on the back of this letter.”  Hmmm, what did that mean?

Priority Boarding:

We arrived at the port at around 11:00am and were hurried into the building, up the escalators, through security, and onto the ship.  We stopped for a bathroom break and were on the ship at around 11:20am.  I tried to ask about Key boarding but was waved along with everyone else.  This was no benefit to us.  

Carry-on Luggage Drop Off:

Upon boarding I asked where we could drop off our luggage as Key members.  We were directed to the theater.  They looked up our names on their list, and tagged our luggage.  This was very convenient for us as we only pack carry-on bags.  It was nice to unload them so we could walk around the ship.

Access to ship activities:

When we brought our luggage to the theater, which was a benefit that was greatly appreciated, we were given wristbands and told these would give us priority at the ship activities like the Flow Rider or rock wall.  I asked for clarification and was told that we could show our wristbands and go to the front of the line, in front of other guests who had been waiting. I was sure this wouldn’t be an issue for us, because we would have private hours on the Flow Rider, just like everyone else.  

When I looked at the back of the letter in our stateroom I saw the following schedule for private hours at activities:

I had been following the discussion here regarding The Key, and several members posted the schedule for private hours they had on their sailings.  All of them had more than one scheduled time per activity for the week.  This was shockingly bare compared to every other schedule I had seen. Apparently the “priority access” was a replacement for private hours, and we were supposed to just go to the front of the line any time my son wanted to ride.  

When my son decided to try the Flow Rider, there was not a special line or sign identifying this front of line benefit for Key guests.  My son, age 13, was the only one in our family who used the Flow Rider and he was not comfortable cutting in front of everyone else to ride.  I  also did not feel comfortable with him doing that.  This benefit was wasted on us.  

Embarkation lunch:

We did eat our embarkation lunch at Chops, but we spent 90 minutes there, which is ridiculously slow for lunch.  I would not recommend lunch at Chops again after this long experience, even though the food was outstanding.  

Show seating:

We arrived late to most shows due to our (my) own poor time management.  Once when we arrived on time we were directed to the suite/Pinnacle seating area, and we were told there were 5 seats available.  We found them, and it worked out well.  Hiro was another success story, where we had excellent seats for the show.  This was probably a worthwhile benefit, and I wish we had been able to use this more but it was totally my fault that we did not.

Priority port of call debarkation:

When reading the benefits of The Key, it sounds like you get priority debarkation at all ports of call. The wording, however, is easily misinterpreted. 

So it sounds like Key guests get priority when leaving the ship in ports of call. Never saw a line or anything for debarking in a port of call. 

I asked GS and was told "Oh no, that's only when the cruise is over." I said "No, it is at ports, see this email from Royal Caribbean?" "Oh no, that is only for tendering ports." Well I pushed back a little and said "But it doesn't say that, it says 'ports of call'". Well he made some phone calls and apologized and said we would have priority debarkation if I just said something to the crew members as we were leaving. But there were no crew members anywhere except as you are actually exiting the ship. At which point there is no need for priority because you are 4 steps away from exiting the ship. There was no option for priority debarkation at any port of call on our sailing. This was not a benefit to us at all but we pretty much did not need it as it never took long to get off the ship. 

Disembarkation breakfast:

The breakfast was good, and we were able to get in and out quickly.  This was a nice benefit, but we could have done without it as it added stress to our disembarkation day by delaying our exit from the ship.  The food and service were great but this was not a benefit I feel was worthwhile.

Priority/escorted disembarkation from the ship:

When we had finished breakfast, it was about 7:10am. I asked about our priority disembarkation and I was told that they were escorting people off the ship at scheduled 30 minute intervals. This had not been communicated previously. I was told I could wait until 7:30 for an escort off the ship or walk off on our own now. There was no reason to wait 20 minutes for someone to walk us off the ship as we were able to walk ourselves off and be in a taxi within 10 minutes.  This benefit was of no use to us. 

I would not get The Key again, nor would I recommend it to others based on our experience.

35 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

 

It is a really sucky policy if that is the policy.

 

jc

Agreed!

7 hours ago, Biker19 said:

I confirmed with someone who has Key - only one session on this sailing and he was told this is a new policy starting May 1. He was told to simply cut the line (like Star class apparently can) if they want more time. 

This was the policy on our March Symphony of the Seas sailing.  1 priority hour per activity all week, and we were told to cut the line if we wanted priority any other time.  When I reported back, no one else (here) had heard of this, but from what you are saying it sounds like they have rolled it out as an official new policy.  

2 hours ago, ThatLever said:

Thanks for your spectacular cruise report!  My DW, DD, and I are going on the Nieuw Amsterdam inside passage cruise this coming August, so it was great to read such an amazingly detailed report.  My DD is 15 and also is a music theater fan, so it was really entertaining to read your comments about how your kids took to the ship.  Can't wait to see it for myself.

 

One question - Would you recommend trying to ask for a window seat in the MDR?  If so, how do I do that? Was this a special service you had access to or can I just call up the HAL number and put in the request?

Awesome!  I think you are going to have a fantastic time!  Can't really go wrong with Alaska.  DD still looks back on that Teen Club experience as her favorite of all time.  She was NOT A fan of the club on Symphony of the Seas in March (though she LOVED the shows!).

I was able to request the window seat because I am my own travel agent, so I just checked the box for window table.  If you booked with a TA you can ask them if they can do that.  Otherwise I would think you can call HAL and ask.  I liked having the window there because it was cool to see how light it was late into the evening, and because I just didn't want to miss any of the scenery.  I am spoiled now and want to request a window table on all sailings!

3 minutes ago, Miloomar said:

 

I just don't understand the policy at all. It's not like drinks are being delivered to the room. I understand you can't share a drink with someone not on the plan, but to assume that just because you're sharing a room means you'd be with the other person 24/7 and might sneak a drink to them just seems dumb. It's not like a room upgrade where both people in the room benefit. It would be like if you had 2 rooms in your party for 4 people and 1 person from each room wanted to do a specialty dining one day and the other 2 just went to the windjammer but all 4 get charged for the meal... except in this case someone not participating medically cannot join in. 

My guess is if people didn't consistently and publicly abuse the rules Royal wouldn't need to change them.  

I sailed on Symphony in March, and didn't spend much extra on board other than souvenirs, room service breakfast twice, (and the arcade games that my daughter played).  The shows are included, and unless you are interested in private Flowrider lessons I believe all of the activities are included, too.  

Extra expenses:

Beverage packages

Starbucks

Specialty dining

Casino

Excursions

Room Service 

Specialty classes (cupcake decorating, etc.)

We had an amazing cruise!

4 minutes ago, waterbug123 said:

 

The bottom line is that sometimes people in this situation are asked to show proof that they are the child's parent and sometimes they are not.  Err on the side of caution and bring whatever you need to bring in order to document that.

 

 

But look at it from the other point of view.  How does the cruise line know they are your children if the last names don't match?  and what if the divorce decree forbids either parent from taking the children out of the country without permission?  How is the cruise line supposed to know they are not violating a court order by allowing them onboard without proof of permission?

 

 

It has to do with showing that you are indeed the child's parent, which is a key factor in taking a child out of the country.

 

 

Really?  Your name is on your children's passports?  US passports for children don't list their parents' names.  How did you get yours to, or are you from another country that does include that information?

 

You are missing my point completely.  Having a different last name than my children does not necessarily mean I am divorced from their father.  Having to bring divorce papers to prove that I can take my children on vacation is like saying you need to bring your marriage certificate to share a room with your spouse.  It is antiquated and misogynistic.  If people really believe that different last name = divorce in this day and age, then you just aren't going to understand my argument.  

And my bad, I thought my maiden name was on their passports but I was mistaken.  

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Hoping to find Greendayz ice cream in Amsterdam this cruise. Doubt we'll try and bring any on.

 

 

This is exactly the kind of "baked good" I was expecting to find in a conversation about baked goods on a 4/20 cruise.  

13 minutes ago, luvflorida said:

I just finished reading your Alaska report and loved it! So happy to find this one. Love your writing style and the fact that you make me laugh out loud!!

Thank you so much!  That is quite flattering :).

3 minutes ago, gatour said:

In regards to married couples with different last names  have to provide marriage certificates.

 

20 years ago I got married to my wife.  She had a passport under her maiden day.  The day after we got married, we took a seven day Caribbean cruise, one of things that were emphasized was that we brought along our marriage certificate.  That recommendation still stands till this day.

 

"Having a different last name than your children has nothing to do with needing permission to travel."

 

You may think differently if someone with a different last name took your children out the country without your consent.  While not a perfect solution it is an attempt to address the occurrence of this happening. 

 

Which has occurred in the past and which part of my prior post that you ignored.

 

You can be furious all you want, but it is grounds for denying boarding by cruise lines, airlines,  by car across the Mexican or Canada border.

You are confused.  There is a difference between bringing proof of marriage because you haven't changed your last name to your married name, and bringing a divorce decree to prove that you are your children's parent since you have a different last name.  Having a divorce decree with you is not the same thing as having permission from your ex-spouse to travel with the children.  Your wife didn't have to bring the marriage certificate on vacation to prove that you weren't trying to kidnap her.  I don't need to bring a divorce decree on vacation to prove that I am not kidnapping my children.  My name is on their birth certificate and their passports.  It is very clear to anyone who takes 2 seconds to check their passports that I am their mother.  

I've had enough of this ridiculous conversation.  OP has her answer.  Time to move on.

8 minutes ago, gatour said:

Not sure if you have single custody or joint custody.  However imagine if you have joint custody with your former spouse.

 

Imagine if your former spouse decides to take the children out of the country.  If the trip goes to certain countries your available recourse for retrieving children and thusly continue joint custody is drastically reduced.  By asking for notarized statements from a parent sharing joint custody, or divorce decrees giving someone single custody, gives the extra protection from a parent "kidnapping" a child without the other parent's knowledge.

 

This has happened in the past and it can ugly in retrieving the child.

There are plenty of married women who have different last names than their children.  Are they required to provide a paper trail proving that they are in fact the child's parent and that they have their husband's permission to travel?  

What about the fathers who DO have the same last name as their children, what happens when they travel?  Do they need to provide divorce papers to prove they have shared custody?  Do they need a notarized letter from the children's mom stating that he has permission to take them out of the country?  

Do married couples with different last names have to provide marriage certificates to prove that one party is not actually being kidnapped by the other?  

Having a different last name than your children has nothing to do with needing permission to travel.  

7 hours ago, TonyFred said:

Any recent cruisers travel with minor children whose last name differs from theirs?

I am carrying my daughter/current husband and her 2 children from her first marriage.

I called and the Royal Caribbean rep advised me that a passport would be the only necessary document needed for them.

I wrote and asked and they said she would need a chain of documents explaining why the names didnt match. (divorce decree, etc)

I had sent the question in about 10 days ago. So I called yesterday and then got the written reply today.

Hoping the first answer is correct.

Both answers said she would not need a consent form from the ex.

So I turn to the cruise critic family for the real answer. Hoping someone has just experienced this situation and can let me know.

Going on the Allure in Oct of this year.

I have sailed on 3 different cruise lines, most recently in March 2019, and traveled extensively with my 2 children, whose last names are different from mine.  We have had no problems whatsoever, anywhere.  We only bring passports, no divorce papers or anything else.  I would be furious if anyone dared to ask me to produce divorce papers so I could travel with my own children.  

6 hours ago, Mountaineer0313 said:

We're booked again August 2020!

SO jealous!!!  I want to go back, for sure!

1 hour ago, songbrd70 said:

We did this same cruise a week or two after the original poster.  I booked a whale watching cruise separately.  I could choose the size of boat and passenger count.  We booked a 6 passenger maximum and ended up on a boat with capacity for 24.  There was one other couple and the captain aboard.  It was perfect.  This probably happened due to it being later in the season.  We were right down on the water and the boat was much more easily maneuvered when spotting whales.

I would recommend this as well.  I am sure I said this, but we were the last to be seated on our whale watching tour, and we were on a boat with like 4-5 seats on each side.  Whoever was on the aisle was not seeing any whales. I stood outside, in the rain, and I did not care, but that would not work for a lot of people.  I would definitely recommend going with a smaller boat if possible.